Work
Responsibility for educational
matters is divided between the University and the Colleges. Thus
the University - through the Faculties and Departments - determines
the content of courses, sets and marks examinations, organises lectures
and classes, provides laboratories and the major libraries. In a
College, responsibility for academic arrangements in each subject
lies with the respective Directors of Studies
Your Director
of Studies will see you at the beginning and end of every
Term to advise you on your work, arrange supervisions, check your
examination entries, and generally monitor your progress. When you
apply for jobs or grants, your Director of Studies will write your
academic reference. If any problems or questions arise in relation
to your work, you should discuss them with your Director of Studies.
Most Directors of Studies are also Fellows of the College and members
of University Departments, and are well placed to view problems
in context and to liaise with others (eg your Tutor) if appropriate.
At the start of each Term the times for meeting with Directors
of Studies will be posted on the notice-board opposite the Hall,
on H staircase. At the end of Term you will probably have
to sign up for an individual time, on a list posted outside your
Director of Studies' room. During Term Directors of Studies
do not have set 'office hours', but they can usually be contacted
in College or in their Departments by e-mail or telephone.
Supervisions are
the feature which distinguishes Cambridge and Oxford from most other
universities in the UK. They provide the opportunity for you to
present and discuss, on a regular basis, your own work. Supervisors
will advise you on your reading, clarify points which may emerge
from lectures, set you written work, and read and discuss that work
with you. They also write termly reports on your progress, and your
Director of Studies will go through the reports with you at the
end of each Term. The quality of supervisions depends to a considerable
extent on your contribution, and it is important that you prepare
for them carefully.
The supervision system
is an expensive privilege and should never be taken for granted.
Supervisors are appointed by the College (through your Director
of Studies) for your benefit.
If you miss supervisions
without good reason, or if you consistently fail to prepare for
the adequately, you will be charged for the supervisor's wasted
time.
If you experience difficulties
with any particular supervisor or set of supervisions, you should
see your Director of Studies.
Academic Assessment Forms
are circulated annually, towards the end of the Lent Term. These
help the College to monitor its educational provision, and give
you the opportunity to reflect and comment on your own progress
and on your supervisions. If the exercise is to be effective, it
is essential that all students should respond.
Changing Course is
often possible, and sometimes desirable. The Tripos system allows
considerable flexibility, but not absolute freedom. You are admitted
to the College to study the course for which you applied. If at
any stage you wish to change, you will have to find out:
(i) whether you are eligible
for your new course under the University's regulations;
(ii) whether the Director
of Studies in your proposed new subject is prepared to accept you;
(iii) whether there are
financial implications (as, for example, in a change from a 3-year
course to a 4-year course) – NB In order to qualify for funding
for a fourth year, you would need to apply for the change of course
before the end of your first year.
If you think you may wish
to change course, collect a `Changing Course' form from the Tutorial
Office. The form tells you whom you will need to consult, and in
what sequence. No request to change course is valid until the form
has been completed and signed by all the relevant parties. In certain
cases, a change may have to be approved by the Council.
Examinations
are arranged by the University, with the entry process being arranged
by the College. It is essential that you consult your Director of
Studies thoroughly about your examination entry and collect any
forms promptly when requested to do so by the Tutorial Office.
University examinations
are sat in central locations. In exceptional circumstances, the
University may allow students to sit papers in College, with, where
necessary, an allowance for extra time. Such permission is only
granted to students with a serious illness or disability which would
make it impossible for them to get to the examination room and/or
write their answers in the normal way. In all other cases, candidates
are expected to sit examinations under the usual conditions, even
if they feel there are factors which could detract from their performance.
Candidates with certified mild dyslexia are not allowed additional
time, but the Examiners will be instructed to ignore minor errors
of spelling (except in language examinations where precision is
essential).
If you believe you have
good reason to take your examinations in College, you should see
your Tutor, who may apply to the University's Board of Examinations
on your behalf. Applications must be supported with medical evidence,
whether from a doctor or educational psychologist (in the case of
dyslexia) or other professional consultant. You should be aware,
however, that the provision of such evidence will not automatically
ensure that the application will be successful. Permission is granted
only for the year of application, and on-going medical conditions
must be re-assessed in subsequent years. When the application relates
to a pre-existing medical condition, you should normally apply before
the end of the Lent Term. Applications relating to unforeseen illness
or injury can be made during the Easter Term. Last-minute arrangements
can only be made in genuine emergencies,and only – as in all
other cases – when the illness or injury is of such severity
that it would be out of the question for you to sit the papers under
normal conditions.
If you take your examinations
in normal conditions, but believe, either in advance or subsequently,
that your performance either will be or has been seriously affected
by adverse factors, you should consult your Tutor as soon as possible.
In acute cases (again, supported by medical evidence) the University
may take such factors into account. The University cannot specifically
raise a candidate to a higher class, but it can allow a candidate
an examination in which the examiners' marks indicate failure, or
it can `declare to have deserved honours' a candidate whose class–
based on the examiners' marks alone – it considers seriously
misleading.
Plagiarism and
use of unfair means
For many students a significant
part of the assessment will be based upon written coursework of
various kinds. Any work that you submit as part of your formal
assessment should be your own original work. If you are found
to have plagiarised any part of this work, that is to say copied
material from any other source, the penalties both from the College
and the University will be extremely severe. If you are in
any doubt what constitutes plagiarism you should consult your Director
of Studies. Similar penalties will apply to any student
found to have adopted unfair means in any part of their examinations.
Action following
poor examination results
The College expects all students to apply
themselves to their studies to the best of their ability, and, under
normal circumstances to achieve, at the very minimum, Honours standard
in their Tripos examinations. The College will not permit students
who fail to achieve this minimum to remain in residence, even though
they may be in standing with the University to do so (unless there
are exceptional medical or tutorial circumstances approved by the
College Council).
Return to Top
|